Maps and Their Uses Video

Frankie is here to help show us how to use cardinal directions, a compass rose, and a map legend! She is an expert on maps. She uses many different maps to get around her own neighborhood!

Frankie is going to show us how to use a compass rose on a map. A compass rose shows us four main directions. They are north, south, east, and west.

Look at the floor plan of Frankie’s bedroom. A floor plan is a type of map that can show us inside a house or building.

Now look at the compass rose in the bottom right corner of the map. If Frankie is in her bedroom and she wants to walk towards the kitchen, which direction does she need to go?

Correct! Frankie will need to walk west to get to her kitchen.

Frankie has wandered outside now. You can see a bird’s-eye view of her entire house. We can now view a map of her street. She will use the compass rose again to find the best route to her backyard.

Do you know which directions would be the best way to reach her backyard from the front door?

Correct! Frankie will first go east along her house, then south to reach her back yard.

This is Frankie’s neighborhood. Her favorite thing in the world is donuts. She wants to get to Dave’s Donuts. Frankie asks her mom to walk with her, since the store is a little farther away. She will need to pull out her neighborhood map to figure out which way to go. This map has a compass rose in the bottom right corner. This type of map shows you all the different houses, shops, and roads in Frankie’s neighborhood.

After eating her favorite donut, Frankie and her mom stop at a carnival. Frankie wants to try to win a prize. She will have to look at the map key to find where the games are at the carnival. A map key shows you where different places are on a map with symbols. She finds the teddy bear on the carnival map; this represents the games at the carnival. Frankie and her mom walk west, then south to find the carnival games. Frankie is so excited to win a stuffed teddy bear!

Maps can show us different things, including rivers, mountains, roads, and local stores. Just as Frankie showed us, there will be a different type of map for all your adventures. Remember, whenever in doubt, just look for the compass rose on the map to help you with directions. North, south, east, and west will always show you where to go!